Agriculture: Bluetongue

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What funding has been provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council or other government organisations to the Institute for Animal Health for research into possible over-wintering mechanisms of the bluetongue virus.

Lord Rooker: Defra has provided substantial financial support for work on bluetongue at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). In addition, the IAH is currently undertaking research on bluetongue virus over-wintering. This includes further work to investigate recent evidence of vertical transmission from dam to calf, as seen in Northern Ireland, for which the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council has provided significant funding.

Airports: Heathrow

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, following the Environment Agency's comments on air pollution, they will cancel the third runway at Heathrow airport.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our recent consultation on further development at Heathrow represents collectively agreed government policy. The Environment Agency has submitted a response to the consultation. Decisions will be taken only after we have been able to consider all responses.

Armed Forces: Future Rapid Effects System

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress has been made in (a) defining the framework for the Systems of Systems Integrator (SOSI) role for the Future Rapid Effects System (FRES); and (b) integrating the Thales UK/Boeing FRES SOSI team with the Ministry of Defence FRES Integrated Project Team.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The MoD signed the initial SOSI contract with the Thales UK/Boeing FRES SOSI team on 24 January 2008. Since that time good progress has been made and the SOSI team is now working closely with the integrated project team to define the through-life management framework within which the SOSI will support the FRES programme. This includes programme management, system of systems engineering and integration, alliance development and management, through-life capability management, through-life technology management and development of the MoD's own SOSI competence.
	This work is expected to be complete ahead of the launch of the FRES utility vehicle demonstration phase, and will evolve throughout the life of the FRES programme.

Armed Forces: Future Rapid Effects System

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect to launch competitions to select the reconnaissance, direct fire and engineering support variants of the Future Rapid Effects System.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The reconnaissance, direct fire and engineering support variants of the Future Rapid Effects System are collectively described as the specialist vehicles. At the end of last year, the MoD placed a number of scoping study contracts in advance of the formal launch of the specialist vehicle assessment phase, which is planned to commence later this year. The results of the assessment phase will determine the content and timing of the future specialist vehicle competitions.

Autism

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 19 March (WA 41), with which "autism stakeholder organisations" the department will be taking forward discussions on the options for, and benefits of, future research; and what response they are making to the National Autistic Society's recently published report, I Exist.

Lord Darzi of Denham: We have been in discussions with autism stakeholder organisations which have an interest in autism and research, including the National Autistic Society, Research Autism and the Autism Research Centre. There was a meeting of stakeholders, including primary care trusts and local authorities, on 12 March 2008. We are committed to working closely with them.
	We will continue to discuss policy actions related to their I Exist report.

British Overseas Territories

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations have been made by the Department of Health about the current quota system for secondary healthcare in the Overseas Territories.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The United Kingdom does not refer patients to its Overseas Territories.
	Under reciprocal agreements, Overseas Territories are able to refer four patients per year to the UK without payment. There have been past requests from these Overseas Territories to increase the quota, which the department has resisted as funding for the National Health Service is voted through Parliament and is for people ordinarily resident in the UK.
	If the Overseas Territories wish to send more patients to be treated in the NHS, they are welcome but they will be charged for the treatment in line with any other overseas visitors.

Climate Change: Carbon Offsetting

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will bring in the voluntary code of practice for companies offering carbon-offsetting projects.

Lord Rooker: The AEA has been appointed as the accreditation body for the code of best practice. It is currently seeking industry comments on the planned practical arrangements and we hope to publish the final code by the end of April 2008.

Coroners

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they propose to take to uphold the independence of coroners conducting military and non-military inquests.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Coroners are, and will remain, independent judicial officer-holders. The proposed reform of the coroner service therefore neither requires nor includes any measures to uphold their judicial independence when conducting inquests of any kind.

Crime: Sex Offenders

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the fact that Raymond Horne served his prison sentence for sexual offences abroad means that he is not subject to a prison licence in Britain.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The power to impose a licence and prescribe conditions in England and Wales derives from legislation which extends only to England and Wales. A licence is effectively part of a sentence imposed by a court in England and Wales. Therefore, Mr Horne is not subject to a prison licence in this country.
	With respect to offenders who have served sentences overseas for relevant sexual offences, the police may apply for a notification order under Section 97 of the Sexual Offences Act 1997. Where a court grants such a notification order, an offender will then be subject to the notification requirements under that Act. The offender will also be subject to monitoring under the multi-agency public protection arrangements, in accordance with Section 327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.
	In the case of Mr Horne, the police have obtained a notification order.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jonathan Shaw, on 8 January (Official Report, Commons, col. 392W), what skills those answering the telephones in the department have; what training programmes are in place for new employees; and what programmes are in place for continuing professional development.

Lord Rooker: Advisers working on Defra's telephone helpline services are supported through a programme of continuous learning and development to ensure appropriate interaction with customers.
	New entrants to the Rural Payment Agency's Workington's call centre complete a six to eight week introductory programme. The first two weeks are for induction and basic customer service training. This helps to provide an overview of the agency and its work. This is followed by "on the job" training to develop skills in customer contact and call-handling techniques. Once proficient in these areas, new entrants are then permitted to handle calls from customers, with support and guidance from a manager. All operators have performance targets and development plans, which are agreed and regularly reviewed. Where appropriate, individual operators attend further training courses to develop specific skills.
	Staff working on the main Defra Helpline also have an initial induction period followed by ongoing training on process activities and technical call-management issues. This support is key to providing first point of contact call resolution and high quality, relevant and sympathetic responses.
	Staff are highly valued and are encouraged to take their development seriously, and prepare for future roles as process champions, mentors or supervisory managers. Some of the more advanced training available for Defra Helpline operators includes National Vocational Qualifications and the European Computer Driving Licence. All our staff have continued access to informal coaching and support.

Elections: National Database

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they are making with proposals for a national database of the electoral register.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The proposed co-ordinated online record of electors (CORE) will provide a single source of electoral registration information for authorised users in Great Britain. On 29 February 2008, the Electoral Commission made a recommendation that the Secretary of State issue a direction to implement electoral registration data standards across England, Wales and Scotland by 1 December 2009. This is a significant step towards the implementation of CORE, as it facilitates the standardisation of the format in which electoral registration officers hold electoral registration information, preparing the ground for the information held by them to be assembled into a single database. We will shortly be conducting a requirements-gathering exercise with a view to setting detailed user requirements before the end of 2008. However, a launch date for the final CORE information system cannot be confirmed until the CORE keeper has been appointed. The Electoral Commission is the Government's preferred choice to fulfil this role.

Elections: Postal Voting

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What instructions are being given to the returning officers in the local elections on 1 May on action to be taken in the event of a large number of (a) last-minute applications for registration, and (b) last-minute applications to vote by post, in any electoral area.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Electoral Commission is responsible for the provision of guidance to returning officers in relation to the management and conduct of elections. Guidance that the Electoral Commission has produced for the elections on 1 May 2008 covers electoral integrity issues. It notes that returning officers and their staff are uniquely placed to identify malpractice and should make checks using the information they have at their disposal. If any electoral registration officer or returning officer has concerns about fraudulent applications, or suspicions of fraudulent activity, or receives any allegations about possible absent voting fraud, these should be reported to the police for further investigation.

Elections: Postal Voting

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What instructions are being given to the police in areas where there is a history of actual and alleged postal vote fraud on action to be taken if a large number of postal vote applications for the local elections on 1 May have been made and accepted at the last minute.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We support the work of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Electoral Commission in producing updated guidance for police forces in England and Wales on preventing and detecting electoral malpractice for the elections on 1 May 2008. The guidance recommends that local police forces work closely with returning officers to minimise the potential for possible malpractice in the electoral process. The guidance encourages police forces to undertake a risk assessment for the elections being held in their area, and highlights factors to take into consideration when carrying out a risk assessment. This will include identifying locations that have historically had incidents or currently show potential for being at risk in May 2008. The guidance sets out the requirements for electors wishing to apply to vote by post and that it is an offence to make a false postal vote application. We welcome the guidance and would encourage local police forces and returning officers to be vigilant in identifying any suspicious or fraudulent activity at the May elections.

Elections: Slough

Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the ruling at the special elections court at Slough in relation to the election in the Central ward last year, whether they will consider the early introduction of a system of individual registration of voters throughout the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government are working to improve the electoral register and agree in principle with individual registration. However, the ground needs to be prepared; unlike Northern Ireland, where there had been a perception of over-registration, in Great Britain there is an issue of under-registration—in the region 3.5 million eligible electors are not on the electoral register. A rapid and unplanned move to individual registration would exacerbate that situation.

Employment

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of all local employment partnerships operating across the United Kingdom, indicating the number of employers and the number of potential vacancies involved in each.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Local employment partnerships are agreements between individual employers and Jobcentre Plus. Once an employer and Jobcentre Plus have agreed in principle to work together through a local employment partnership, the next steps are to plan what that will mean in practice and to begin the process of implementation. Each employer works with Jobcentre Plus to decide which job opportunities in which workplaces will be handled through the LEP initiative, and what action will be taken to help jobless people to compete effectively for those jobs. Possible actions include work trials, pre-employment training and guidance for jobless people on recruitment processes and employers' recruitment criteria.
	We aim to help 250,000 jobless people into work through local employment partnerships by the end of 2010.
	By the end of March 2008, more than 600 employers (including some small and medium-sized enterprises) had made organisational-level commitments to work through local employment partnerships. Some 260 of those employers were already working with Jobcentre Plus to implement their initial delivery plans, and a list of those employers has been placed in the Library. Jobcentre Plus is working through LEPs at a local level with many other smaller and medium-sized employers, and with some sites of larger employers who have not so far made a central commitment to work through LEPs.
	Employers are often unable to make firm recruitment plans months and years in advance, and for that reason it is not possible to say how many job opportunities individual committed employers will make available through LEPs. We are however confident, given the high level of recruitment undertaken by employers committed to LEPs, that the number of job opportunities made available through LEPs will enable the initiative to succeed.

Energy: Appliances on Standby

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What measures are in place to encourage users to switch off electrical and electronic appliances rather than leaving them on standby; what progress has been made with these measures; and what further measures they will consider in this regard.

Lord Rooker: In the energy White Paper of 2007, the Government restated their commitment to increasing the energy efficiency of products and reducing the amount of energy wasted by products while in standby mode.
	Proposals are currently being considered for an implementing measure under the framework directive for the eco-design of energy-using products (EuP) to establish mandatory standards for products in stand-by mode. If this proposal is agreed by member states, most products will have to consume no more than 1 watt when in standby mode. In addition, we are continuing to work with retailers and manufacturers to design out wasteful standby.
	The Government's "Act on CO2" campaign helps people to understand the link between individual behaviour and climate change and take action to reduce their carbon footprint, including by switching off standby. The Act on CO2 calculator encourages people to avoid leaving products on standby in the tailored action plan that it provides for users.

Energy: Biofuels

Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much government funding is being allocated to the development of second-generation biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, biobutanol and synthetic fuels from biomass; and
	Which biofuel research projects are receiving government funding.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government are providing £5 million to the Carbon Trust, as part of the Environmental Transformation Fund, for research projects on advanced biofuels. The Technology Strategy Board has announced a £10 million competition for collaborative research on low carbon energy technologies including transport biofuels. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has provided around £0.3 million funding to the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NFCC) for a series of projects assessing the feasibility of second generation biofuel production in the UK (available via the NNFCC's website at www.nnfcc.com). The Energy Technologies Institute, funded by government and industry with a potential budget of £1 billion over 10 years, is considering options for incorporating advanced biofuel research into its programme.
	The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will help to create the right market conditions for the best biofuels to flourish and it should encourage the development of more advanced biofuels in the future.

Environment Agency Wales

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Environment Agency formally advised the Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council that they have returned all Mr Douglas Gowan's original documents to him; whether staff at the Environment Agency Wales have been advised by their legal department in writing that Mr Gowan's original documents were sent to solicitors, Brabners Chaffee Street; and who was responsible for photocopying some of the original documents and sending those photocopies to Mr Gowan.

Lord Rooker: In response to an inquiry made on the 25 February 2008, the Environment Agency advised Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council that it had complied with a request by Mr Douglas Gowan to return his original documents and to remove and shred copies of them from its files.
	The Environment Agency's legal department has, at every stage, kept its in-house clients fully informed of its actions relating to Brofiscin Quarry, including instructions given to Brabners Chaffe Street LLP, Solicitors. The Environment Agency is confident that Brabners Chaffe Street LLP has carried out those instructions appropriately.

Flooding

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by Baroness Andrews on 13 March (WA 251—2) and 17 March (WA 9—10), whether any statutory accountability is required by Government of local authorities in respect of the implementation of Planning Policy Statement 25, Development and Flood Risk; and if so, how this is communicated to applicants for planning permission.

Baroness Andrews: Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (the Act) requires local authorities to decide planning applications in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. This means that where applications involve issues of flood risk, they have to be decided in line with the policies on flood risk set out in the local authority's local development documents (LDDs) or other development plans. LDDs should be consistent with national planning policy, including Planning Policy Statement 25 Development and Flood Risk (PPS25). Section 20(5) of the Act requires LDDs to be tested for their soundness at independent examination. Local authorities are also required to carry out a sustainability appraisal of their LDDs as part of their plan preparation, in order to inform decisions about site allocations. Where flooding is an issue the local authority should prepare a strategic flood risk assessment as required by PPS25 to inform the sustainability appraisal. The policy in PPS25 would be a material consideration in determining the soundness of the LDD.
	Key elements of the planning system are the early active involvement of stakeholders, including the Environment Agency which is a specific consultation body, and the development of a robust evidence base, in order to inform the contents of the LDDs. At the planning application level, applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with the local authority as early as possible, to check their compliance with the local authorities' policies. There is a statutory requirement on the local authority to consult the Environment Agency on planning applications in flood risk areas.

Food: Animal Welfare

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the National Audit Office takes into account the animal welfare aspects of food production in its consideration of the public procurement of food.

Lord Rooker: I am not aware of the NAO giving specific attention to animal welfare in its consideration of public sector food procurement. The NAO's report into smarter food procurement in the public sector published in March 2006 did however make several recommendations for increasing the take-up of the public sector food procurement initiative, which has an objective to promote animal welfare.
	The NAO also produced a short guide designed to help staff in frontline organisations assess the opportunities for improving the efficiency, sustainability and nutritional quality of the food and catering services they procure. This suggested that organisations reinvest revenues received in improvements to their catering services. One suggestion was for them to invest in meeting customers' preferences that can attract further custom; for example, specifying farm assurance and organic produce that also cover animal welfare. Please see URL www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/05-06/0506963_guide.pdf.

Freedom of Information

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any proposals to refund to Members of Parliament and Peers costs incurred in obtaining information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the basis that such an arrangement would assist their parliamentary duties.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government currently have no plans to make refunds to Members of Parliament or Peers in respect of any costs incurred in obtaining information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Regulations provide for the charging of fees in relation to requests for information only where the cost of complying—calculated at a flat rate of £25 per hour of officials' time—would exceed appropriate limits. The appropriate limit is currently £600 for central government and £450 for other public authorities. In addition, public authorities may charge for disbursements and for information supplied in accordance with their publication schemes.

Health: Immunisation

Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to encourage mothers to use preventive health services such as immunisation.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department produces a range of information materials explaining the facts on immunisation and disease and the important role immunisation plays in protecting mothers and their children. All materials are tested among parents to ensure the content is clear and comprehensive. Any significant changes made to the routine immunisation schedule are supported by an information publicity campaign, again tested for effectiveness.
	Regular face-to-face surveys are conducted among parents to gauge current attitudes and perceptions of disease, immunisations and sources of information. The findings are used to help shape and inform future policy and communications with parents.
	The department also consults health professionals on a regular basis to help understand their training and information needs and the support and advice they are giving to the public on immunisation.
	Information materials on immunisation are widely distributed to antenatal clinics, child health clinics, general practitioner surgeries and are available on the internet, at www.immunisation.nhs.uk, and through NHS Direct.

Health: Immunisation

Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of children are immunised against childhood diseases.

Lord Darzi of Denham: Around 91 per cent of children have completed their primary immunisation courses against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and Hib by their first birthday and around 93 per cent by their second birthday.
	Around 85 per cent of children have been immunised against mumps, measles and rubella with the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine by the age of two.
	This is based on immunisations completed between July and September 2007 in the United Kingdom.

Houses of Parliament: Renewable Energy

Lord Tebbit: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Chairman of Committees on 20 March (WA 60) concerning the carbon footprint of the House of Lords, whether he will describe the mechanism by which all electricity consumed on the parliamentary estate is purchased from renewable sources.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The electricity consumed on the parliamentary estate in all but one of the buildings is purchased on contract through OGC Buying Solutions. All the electricity is renewable and comes from accredited generation technologies under the climate change levy exemption scheme. The percentage contribution from various generation technologies to the renewable electricity supplied during 2006 by the OGC Buying Solutions supplier is given below:
	5 per cent energy from waste;
	6 per cent sewage gas;
	7 per cent biomass;
	8 per cent off-shore wind;
	13 per cent on-shore wind;
	14 per cent small scale hydro; and
	47 per cent landfill gas.
	The one building not included in the OGC Buying Solutions contract receives electricity generated by a combined heat and power plant.
	Since the renewable electricity is generated far away from the parliamentary estate, it is supplied to the electricity network and is mixed with electricity generated from other non-renewable sources. The only way to ensure that the renewable electricity is consumed on the parliamentary estate would be for cables to be fitted between the generators of the renewable electricity and the estate to carry the renewable electricity exclusively to the estate. The possibility of running the Whitehall standby distribution system and the Whitehall combined heat and power plant to generate electricity to replace mains electricity in the future and to deliver it directly to government offices in Whitehall and to Parliament is currently being considered.
	The OGC Buying Solutions electricity supplier and its affiliates have made a commitment to invest in approximately 1,000 MW of new UK renewable energy production over the next five years.

Iraq: British Special Forces

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will withdraw British special forces personnel operating in Iraq.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: It is long-standing government policy not to comment on the activities of UK special forces.

Iraq: Inquiry

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to preserve and collect material which will be required as evidence for the inquiry in the Iraq war.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We will ensure that relevant material is provided for any such inquiry. The Ministry of Defence has a comprehensive records management policy. All areas of the department, including the Armed Forces, are expected to comply with this policy and maintain appropriate records.

Iraq: UK Personnel

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether all British personnel inside the Iraqi green zone are safe, in view of recent incidents.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: I can confirm that there have been no injuries to UK military or civilian personnel as a result of attacks into the green zone in Baghdad over the period 23 to 27 March. We continue to keep force protection arrangements for these personnel under review.

National Parks: South Downs

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the reopened public inquiry into the South Downs National Park Designation Order is expected to close on 23 May; and how soon after its closure they expect to announce their decision on the confirmation order and the final boundary of the new national park.

Lord Rooker: I can confirm that the reopened public inquiry is currently scheduled to continue until 23 May.
	We had previously hoped to be in a position to make an announcement later this year, but we now anticipate that a decision will be made by January 2009.
	I appreciate that this will be disappointing news, but it is important that we ensure that the democratic process is not prejudiced and that sufficient time is given for all views to be considered properly.

Occupational Health

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the availability of the professionally trained staff required to support the rollout of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Health Service undertakes an annual census of staff. The figures for 2006-07 show 2,413 full-time equivalent (FEE) clinical psychologists and 584 FTE psychotherapists working in the NHS, a 71 per cent and 184 per cent increase respectively since 1997.
	The department is liaising with the professional bodies representing psychological therapists, the British Psychological Society, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to ensure that experienced staff working outside the NHS are aware of the opportunities available through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
	In the medium term, training will be made available for them and others to ensure that they have the competencies required to deliver the IAPT services. In the longer term, we will develop a new workforce, training new graduates and people with life experience, so as not to denude the existing services of experienced NHS staff.

Official Transport: Electronic Countermeasures

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether electronic countermeasures in ministerial cars can interfere with airborne aircraft.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government Car and Despatch Agency is responsible for providing ministerial cars and drivers. For obvious security reasons, it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of any security devices that may be fitted to ministerial cars.

Questions for Written Answer: Late Answers

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Leader of the House of Lords on 17 March (WA 1), why the Question tabled by Baroness Valentine was not answered until 17 March.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given by my noble friend Lord West of Spithead on 26 March 2008 (Official Report, col. WA89).

Questions for Written Answer: Unanswered Questions

Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House:
	What explanations have been given to her by the Home Office to justify the Written Question by Baroness Valentine tabled on 8 November 2007 remaining unanswered on 11 March 2008, being 15 weeks overdue of the target of 14 days.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: An Answer was given to Baroness Valentine on 17 March (Official Report, col. WA 1). I regret the delay in replying to the noble Baroness and if she wishes to discuss this issue with the Home Office, I would be pleased to facilitate.

Railways: Carriages

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many carriages are required to meet the present franchise commitments of First Great Western; and how this number will change throughout the life of the franchise allowing for transfers of carriages out of and into the franchise.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The number of carriages it operates to meet its franchise commitments is a matter for First Great Western to manage.
	On 30 January, the Department for Transport published its rolling stock plan. This shows indicative numbers of rolling stock per train operating company. Fifty two additional vehicles are shown for First Great Western. The rolling stock plan explains that these numbers are not intended to be prescriptive or to limit the development process with the industry, and could therefore be subject to change in the final outcome.
	I also refer to the Written Statement made by my honourable friend the Secretary of State on 26 February 2008. This Statement confirmed that additional carriages will be added to trains operating the First Great Western Portsmouth to Cardiff route from this summer.

Railways: Engineering

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will commission external business consultants to reform Network Rail's engineering works procedures.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The noble Lord should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a response to his Question: Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London, W1 2EE.

Smoking: Television and Cinema

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any plans to ban or reduce the use of smoking on television and in cinema films as a method of discouraging smoking.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Government share concerns about the portrayal of smoking in films but have no plans to prohibit smoking either on television or in films. The British Board of Film Classification guidelines direct the board to take anything that may harm children into consideration in the rating of films.
	The Office of Communications guidelines direct that smoking should not be shown in a glamorous or appealing way before the 9 pm watershed.

Toxic Chemicals

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 10 March (WA 217), upon what basis Lovells were expected to advise the Environment Agency Wales in their claim for remediation of Brofiscin Quarry against Solutia Incorporated in the United States bankruptcy courts when they had not met representatives of EAW or seen statements and supporting evidentiary proofs material to the claim.

Lord Rooker: Lovells LLP was fully and properly instructed by the Environment Agency to act on its behalf in the United States bankruptcy court proceedings. All pertinent information and documentation was supplied by the Environment Agency. Legal representatives of the Environment Agency and Lovells LLP held regular telephone conferences and exchanged numerous letters and e-mails throughout the proceedings. The Environment Agency is confident that this was a cost-effective and efficient means of communicating with its US lawyers.

Toxic Chemicals

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the negotiations between Monsanto and the Environment Agency Wales, Monsanto accepted possible United Kingdom liability for Brofiscin Quarry only, deferred to the future with full legal defences.

Lord Rooker: Brofiscin Quarry is listed as a legacy site in Appendix B to a relationship agreement made between Solutia Inc and Monsanto, approved by the United States bankruptcy court, which allocates environmental liabilities between the companies. This means that if there are any environmental liabilities attributable to Solutia/Monsanto at Brofiscin Quarry, Monsanto will take on those liabilities subject to legal or factual defences available to it in the United Kingdom. Monsanto will also be liable on the same basis and subject to the same defences for other similar but unlisted waste disposal sites in the United Kingdom that received wastes prior to 1997.

Toxic Chemicals

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment has been made of the quantity of polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins and other toxic chemicals that have leached into the Cardiff aquifer from Brofiscin Quarry; whether this pollution continues; and what action is being taken to protect the water from further pollution.

Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency has not made an estimate of the quantity of contaminants that have leached into the Miskin aquifer from Brofiscin Quarry. Investigations to date have concentrated on the shallow groundwater regime beneath the quarry, and its interactions with the surface water environment. The conceptual site model report of July 2007 confirms the pollution of controlled waters from the waste mass is ongoing. The Environment Agency is currently conducting a remedial options appraisal in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance.

Toxic Chemicals

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	At what levels and under what circumstances they consider dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, especially those typed as aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254 and 1260, to be safe.

Lord Rooker: The World Health Organisation International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) has recently reviewed the data on the toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls in its Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents Series. This is available on its website. In this document, a tolerable intake value of 0.02 micrograms per kg per day was derived for an aroclor 1254 mixture.
	With regard to dioxins, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has recommended a tolerable daily intake of two picograms toxic equivalents (TEQ) per kg of body weight per day. This is explained in a statement published on the Food Standards Agency website.
	There is no single threshold set for dioxin emissions into the environment. Directive 2000/76/EC on waste incineration sets an emission limit for dioxins of 0.1 nanogram I-TEQ per cubic metre of gaseous releases to air, and emission limit values for discharges to water are set at 0.3 nanogram per litre. The Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EC-850/2004) brought in additional controls on the disposal of waste containing dioxins above a trigger level of 15 micrograms per kg TEQ.

Transport: Appraisal

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How an allowance is made for the total carbon effect of a scheme in the new approach to transport appraisal.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport's new approach to appraisal (NATA) requires scheme promoters to estimate the amount of carbon emitted by all modes of transport for "with intervention" and "without intervention" options. A monetary estimate of the damages associated with any change in carbon emissions caused by interventions must also be produced using a value produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	The estimated change in the quantity of carbon emissions and the monetary value for carbon emissions in both the opening year and over the whole appraisal period must be clearly reported alongside qualitative comments and data sources.
	In principle, the total carbon impact from all aspects of proposed interventions should be assessed. Data on traffic flow and speed by vehicle type is used to predict fuel consumption under "with intervention" and "without intervention" scenarios for every year in the appraisal period, and the resulting information is used to calculate carbon emissions based on the carbon content and density of fuel burnt. The department is also consulting on future improvements to NATA and investigating ways to make the estimation of carbon impacts more comprehensive by taking account of non-fuel-consumption related carbon effects of transport schemes.

Transport: Freight Carbon Emissions

Lord Teverson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to reduce the carbon emissions of the United Kingdom freight industry.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport funds modal shift of freight from roads to rail and water, where this offers overall benefits—including carbon reduction, through three grant schemes. These are: freight facilities grant (towards the capital cost of rail or water freight handling facilities); waterborne freight grant; and the rail environmental benefit procurement scheme (both towards the operating cost differential between road freight and other modes).
	The department also supports programmes to reduce the environmental impact of road freight including freight best practice and the safe and fuel efficient driving schemes.

Wages

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of United Kingdom workers are engaged in low-waged work; and how this compares to other European Union countries.

Baroness Vadera: Based on data from the Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2007, BERR estimates that, in the UK, around 430,000 employee jobs (less than 2 per cent of the UK total) were paid at the relevant national minimum wage in April 2007. In April 2007, this was £5.35 for those aged 22 or over, £4.45 for those aged 18 to 21, and £3.30 for those aged 16 to 17.
	Although there are issues surrounding comparability of data, research conducted by the European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions in 2007 (Minimum Wages in Europe: Background Paper) found that the UK had a significantly smaller proportion of employees on the minimum wage than in most other EU member states.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Evans of Temple Guiting on 1 May 2007 (WA 202), when they will make available the response of the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: A copy of the letter has now been placed in the Library of the House.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are aware of the presence of dioxins and dibenzofurans in the Brofiscin landfill site; whether Monsanto confirmed this in 2007; and why the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) did not type the aroclors found as polychlorinated biphenyl congeners at the site when this would have enabled the EAW to pinpoint the source of the PCBs.

Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency is aware of the presence of dibenzofurans in Brofiscin Quarry. In accordance with the provisions of Part 2A Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Statutory Guidance, the Environment Agency is responsible for considering the significant pollutant linkages that form the basis of the local authority's "Record of Determination". Dioxins, dibenzofurans and aroclors are not included in that determination.
	In the course of its investigations under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Environment Agency has received information relating to Brofiscin Quarry from various sources including Monsanto. Where that information has related to potential additional contaminants at the site, it has been passed to the local authority.
	The Environment Agency considered that the analysis of congeners (individual PCB compounds) offered advantages over the analysis of aroclors (commercial mixtures of PCB compounds) for the purpose of environmental risk assessment as the toxicity of PCBs is congener specific.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they expect the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) to publish a list of appropriate persons in respect of the surface and groundwater pollution in the locality of the Brofiscin Quarry; and when they expect the EAW to publish details of remediation options for this area.

Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency is still making its determination of "appropriate persons"' and concluding its remediation options appraisal for Brofiscin Quarry in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
	Regulation 15 and Schedule 3 to the Contaminated Land (Wales) Regulations 2001 prescribes the detail required under Section 78R of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to be placed on a public register. The contaminated land regime does not prescribe a timetable for completion of the investigation, or state when details should be added to the public register. The Environment Agency intends to place the required information on the public register as soon as reasonably practicable after it is generated.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Environment Agency Wales is aware of the admission of shared liability at Brofiscin and two other Welsh landfill sites made by the former Monsanto Environment Director, Dr D B Shearn, on Thames Television in 1989; and whether this admission is now statute barred.

Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency is aware of the documentary and does not believe it of relevance.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why Brofiscin Farm, to the north of the Brofiscin landfill site, has not been designated contaminated land despite the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls in the soil, disused well waters and Brofiscin Farm stream sediments.

Lord Rooker: Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, the relevant local authority, has responsibility for determining whether land in the vicinity of Brofiscin Quarry appears to be contaminated land.
	The Environment Agency has provided information and advice to assist the local authority in discharging its responsibilities.

Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	At what level the cost of remediation for Brofiscin Quarry would be unreasonable.

Lord Rooker: Chapter C Part 5 of the Welsh Assembly Government's Part 2A Statutory Guidance on Contaminated Land (2006), issued under Section 78E(5)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, provides guidance on what is reasonable with regard to remediation.